Controlling Diseases and Insects in Home Fruit Plantings

Bulletin 780-01

Multipurpose or All-Purpose Fruit Sprays

Several multipurpose pesticide formulations, which contain a mixture of several insecticides and fungicides, are available for fruit crops. These commercially prepared mixtures are convenient to use, but they have four important disadvantages:

1. None of these multipurpose mixtures controls all of the insects and diseases you are likely to encounter. Not realizing this, many users tend to apply mixtures more frequently and at higher rates trying, in vain, to control some pests.
2. Multipurpose mixtures lack flexibility so that when only a fungicide is required (for example, during bloom), an insecticide also is applied even though it is not needed and could be damaging to bees.
3. Most multipurpose mixtures are more expensive than those you prepare.
4. Mixtures containing dicofol miticide may cause a problem because their continual use may lead to the development of dicofol resistance in mites.

If used on tree fruit, multipurpose sprays should be limited to the period after bloom as maintenance treatments during the summer.